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Inspection report 2010
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Pastoral care
In the Lower School we aim to foster an environment and an approach which values, promotes and models the 5 ‘C’s: consideration, courtesy, kindness, care, and challenge. We want the transition from primary/prep school to be an exciting and manageable one, and for every boy and girl to feel safe, happy, and valued. Throughout their time in the Lower School, we want our pupils to develop a sense of belonging and of appreciative pride, and for them to be excited about their learning and about what the school has to offer. We encourage them to be aware of, and thankful for, those around them, and help them to build up their own levels of personal responsibility and to develop their leadership skills.
Key to achieving our pastoral aims is getting to know each child individually early on, and our induction programme (including visits to meet and chat to the pupils in their Year 6 classes, Move-Up Day, Familiarisation Morning, and a web-based linking project) helps us to have a good understanding of the individual needs of each pupil before they arrive in Year 7. Thereafter, our tailor-made programme of assemblies, tutorials and form time allows tutors to build up and maintain a happy and positive working relationship with their tutees, and with their form as a whole.
But the role of the tutor in the Lower School goes far beyond the regimented and the pre-designed. Our spacious form rooms are all located next to each other meaning that there’s a real sense of Lower School space in the school where tutors, Year Heads, and the Head of Lower School can wander informally and catch up with the latest from the Lower School pupils. Whether it be a quick chat along the corridor on the way to assembly, a word of congratulation in passing, a brief catch-up in the form room, or a more formal sit-down chat, some of our best pastoral work subscribes to the idea of tutoring-by-walk-about.
We like to think that pupils leave the Lower School having acquired the right habits for life in Year 9 and beyond. Come and see for yourself; it’s a nice place to be.
